More than 27 years’ jail, caning for drug runner who was paid $1,000 for each collection

A 31-year-old drug runner, who was part of a syndicate that supplied drugs from Malaysia to Singapore, was sentenced to 27 years and seven months’ jail, and 15 strokes of the cane on March 17.

Tan Guosheng is the latest member of the syndicate –which reaped more than a million dollars in proceeds for two key members – to be convicted in court.

Tan worked for key syndicate member Lian Hoe Heng, 58, for about three months before he was arrested.

He collected drugs from various drop-off points in Singapore, and then delivered the items to customers.

The drugs included methamphetamine, ketamine, cannabis and MDMA, commonly known as Ecstasy tablets.

Tan was paid $1,000 for each drug collection and $100 for each drug delivery he performed, the High Court was told.

Lian was sentenced to 28 years and nine months’ jail on Dec 30, 2024, in Singapore’s largest money laundering conviction for benefits from drug dealing.

He left Singapore in November 2018, and lived in Johor Bahru until he was repatriated to the Republic on April 16, 2023.

Apart from coordinating the supply of drugs into Singapore, Lian admitted that he laundered more than $1.27 million in drug proceeds for himself and a fellow syndicate member.

Lian has filed an appeal against his sentence.

In Tan’s case, he pleaded guilty to five charges: one count of drug trafficking, one count of drug possession, one count for drug consumption, one count of failing to report for a urine test, and one count of being in an arrangement that facilitated the laundering of drug proceeds.

The amount of methamphetamine trafficked was stated as 249.99g, which is just below the 250g threshold for the death penalty.

Deputy Public Prosecutor Brian Tan told the court that in 2019, Tan was remanded in the Drug Rehabilitation Centre (DRC) for having consumed methamphetamine, which he had obtained through Lian.

In April 2020, Tan was released and placed under drug supervision for a period of two years. During this period, he again consumed methamphetamine obtained through Lian.

Tan also helped Lian collect and distribute drugs in Singapore to other customers.

He would receive instructions from Lian through phone calls or text messages, and would collect drugs that had been dropped off by others.

After collecting payment from the customers, Tan would deposit the cash into bank accounts in Singapore belonging to Lian. 

Tan and his fellow drug runner, Adam Koh Yong Sheng, 30, each rented a room in a landed property in Kembangan.

Apart from living there, Tan also stored, weighed and repacked drugs at the house.

He was arrested by officers from the Central Narcotics Bureau on Oct 7, 2020 in front of the house.

Koh had earlier been sentenced to 27 years four months’ jail and 15 strokes of the cane.

Source: The Straits Times © SPH Media Limited. Permission required for reproduction.

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